Written Answers

Friday 9 June 2000

Scottish Executive

Ambulance Service

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any staff shortages in the ambulance service and, if so, what plans it has to address these.

Susan Deacon: The number of staff employed in the Scottish Ambulance Service meets demand. Over the past five years the level of vacancies against establishment within the service has remained consistently low at between 1% and 1.5%. During the same period the numbers of front-line ambulance personnel have increased by over 140. On completion of training later this year, a further 20 emergency ambulance staff will be deployed into Glasgow as part of a range of initiatives being taken to improve performance in the city.

Crofting

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to advance the Croft Entrant Scheme beyond the current pilot phase and whether it will be extended to all crofting parishes.

Ross Finnie: None of the Croft Entrant Schemes operated by individual Local Enterprise Companies are in a pilot phase: all are fully operational. Any changes to these schemes would be a matter for the individual Local Enterprise Companies within the overall scheme framework agreed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Crofters Commission.

Emergency Services

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the term "emergency service" is defined and which services are currently classified as emergency services.

Mr Jim Wallace: There is no general statutory definition of the term "emergency service". However, the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 made under the Road Traffic Act 1988 specify those vehicles designated as "emergency vehicles" which are empowered to be fitted with a blue warning beacon. In this regard, in addition to fire, ambulance and police vehicles, the regulations also cover specified vehicles used by the Forestry Commission, the Ministry of Defence, HM Coastguard, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the Coal Authority, and the Blood Transfusion Service.

Environment

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce a sustainable life campaign in Scotland similar to the "Are You Doing Your Bit?" campaign run by the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions and, if there is to be such a campaign, what level of funding it will receive.

Sarah Boyack: I have commissioned research into the types of campaigning that would most effectively influence people to act in an environmentally sustainable way. When this research is complete I will consider whether the Executive should run a campaign in Scotland similar to the "Are You Doing Your Bit?" campaign run by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, and what level of funding to devote to any such campaign.

Environment

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what is the up-to-date position in respect of the answer given to question S1W-102 by Sarah Boyack on 30 June 1999.

Sarah Boyack: We aim to implement the new contaminated land regime in July, subject to the parliamentary process. The draft statutory guidance was laid before the Scottish Parliament on 25 May. Subject to parliamentary approval, we expect to promulgate the new regime by issuing a circular to local authorities and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on 14 July, with the guidance and accompanying regulations coming into force immediately thereafter.

European Funding

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the Department of Trade and Industry to reinstate the four Angus wards excluded from the revised Assisted Area proposals.

Henry McLeish: The Assisted Areas map is a reserved matter.

  The Scottish Executive maintains regular contact with The Scotland Office and the Department of Trade and Industry on a range of matters, including the development of proposals for a new UK Assisted Areas map.

Fertility Treatment

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase funding for infertility treatment to ensure equal access to treatment in Glasgow and all health board areas, following the publication of the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland report.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure equal access across all health board areas to infertility treatments such as ICSI, following the publication of the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland report.

Susan Deacon: The report of the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland provides a robust evidence base for the management and delivery of infertility services in Scotland. Implementation of the report’s recommendations will bring about equity of access to services and treatment. The report has been issued to all health boards and NHS Trusts in Scotland who have been asked to work towards implementation of the report as resources permit. At the same time health boards and NHS Trusts have been asked to bear in mind their existing clinical priorities which are cancer, coronary heart disease/stroke and mental health.

  I intend to review progress towards implementation early in 2001.

Health

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is regarding the appropriate number of NHS beds needed to respond adequately to demand.

Susan Deacon: It is for health boards, working with NHS Trusts and other partners, to determine the number of hospital beds required to meet assessed need in their respective areas, taking account of local circumstances.

Health

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5066 by Susan Deacon on 21 March 2000, why it considers it unnecessary to hold information on measures to detect osteoporosis centrally and whether it will arrange for details of any measures taken to detect osteoporosis at a local level to be held centrally.

Susan Deacon: Strategies for the care of patients with a wide variety of conditions, including osteoporosis, are the responsibility of health boards and their associated NHS Trusts, who are best suited to assess local needs. If the Scottish Executive required detailed reports on every aspect of patient care for every condition from boards and Trusts it would be a very time-consuming and therefore costly exercise. I am not convinced that this would be a good use of NHS funds.

  Guidance to help health boards devise their strategies was issued by the Health Department in 1997, in the form of a Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP) on osteoporosis. This gave the conclusions of a group of experts drawn from within the NHS on the current situation in Scotland, a review of recent research, and options for the prevention, detection and management of osteoporosis.

Health

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will devise a national strategy on osteoporosis aimed in particular at preventing and improving detection of osteoporosis.

Susan Deacon: There are no current plans to develop a national strategy for osteoporosis. It is for local health boards to determine the services which are required to meet the needs of their local population within available resources. Guidance to help health boards devise their strategies was issued by the Health Department in 1997, in the form of a Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP) report on osteoporosis. This gave the conclusions of a group of experts drawn from within the NHS on the current situation in Scotland, a review of recent research, and options for the prevention, detection and management of osteoporosis.

  This SNAP report concluded that the only measures known to prevent the development of osteoporosis are weight-bearing exercise, the reduction of alcohol consumption to moderate levels, the reduction of tobacco consumption and a balanced diet with a higher consumption of calcium and vitamin D and lowered consumption of sodium, protein and caffeine. These are measures which are actively promoted by the Executive, because they reduce the risks of developing many other conditions as well as osteoporosis.

Health

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4989 by Susan Deacon on 17 March 2000, how the guidance Management of Genital Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection will help to increase detection, and decrease rates of infection, of chlamydia.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) published the guideline Management of Genital Chlamydia trachomatis Infection in April 2000 and this has been distributed widely in Scotland. It is also available on the SIGN website.

  This guideline has been produced to support the uptake of effective practice in the identification and treatment of chlamydial infection by advising on the circumstances in which chlamydial infection should be sought routinely in adults and the optimum management of patients identified as Chlamydia trachomatis positive.

Health

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it gives to health boards to encourage the prevention of the spread of headlice and what its policy is on whether teachers, school nurses and other staff should be advised to inform parents or guardians when their child is infected.

Susan Deacon: Each health board is responsible for developing and implementing, in conjunction with other interested bodies, a policy for dealing with headlice infestation. The policies are aimed at ensuring that schools, General Medical Practitioners, Community Pharmacists and the general public have a good understanding of their roles in tackling the problem of headlice.

  The Scottish Executive also intends to work with health boards to develop a national leaflet to provide advice to schools and parents on the treatment of headlice.

Health

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts are being made to ensure the best diagnosis and treatment for sufferers of organophosphate exposure.

Susan Deacon: As indicated in my answer to question S1W-6780, the Chief Medical Officer wrote last year to health boards, NHS Trusts and general practitioners to provide guidance on responding to patients suffering from, or claiming to suffer from organophosphate poisoning. The need for further guidance is kept under continuing review.

Health

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether specialist referrals are available for sufferers of organophosphate exposure; if so, what efforts have been made to ensure that GPs are aware of these services; if not, what action is being taken to address this situation.

Susan Deacon: The Department of Health issued a statement on 1 July 1999 providing guidance on the action to be taken in cases of complaint of organophosphate poisoning. A copy of this statement was sent to health boards, NHS Trusts and general practitioners in Scotland on 1 July 1999 under cover of a letter from the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland. The statement suggested that where a patient presented with symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, doctors might refer to a consultant neurologist or discuss the case with the National Poisons Information Service (NPIS). In Scotland, the NPIS in Edinburgh has agreed to consider such cases.

Health

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice is available through the NHS helpline to patients looking for information on orthotic services.

Susan Deacon: The NHS Helpline currently holds general information on orthotic services and where appropriate will direct the caller to a local service. The Scottish Rehabilitation Technology Forum (SCOTRET) has been asked to consider whether the helpline can be offered any further more specific information of these services.

Health

Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken in response to the recent outbreak of E.coli 0157 in north-east Scotland.

Susan Deacon: In accordance with their respective responsibilities, Grampian Health Board and Aberdeenshire Council have been investigating the outbreak of infection among young people who attended the Cub and Scout Camp at the New Deer Agricultural Showground over 26 and 27 May 2000.

  The circumstances are that Grampian Health Board were notified, on the morning of Sunday 4 June, of a cluster of three cases of severe diarrhoea admitted to hospitals in Aberdeen over that weekend. One of the cases had been diagnosed as suffering from E.coli 0157 infection. All had attended the camp.

  Immediate investigation, and contact with parents, established that a wider group of children, who had attended the camp, were suffering from gastro-enteritis and, in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Scottish Executive in July 1999 on the investigation and control of outbreaks of foodborne disease, an Outbreak Control Team was set up, consisting of specialists in public health, environmental health, microbiology, infectious disease medicine and paediatrics. The Executive were also informed on that day of the developing situation.

  At its first meeting on 4 June, the team set in train extensive investigations to detect the cause of the outbreak. The Procurator Fiscal has been informed in the normal way. Steps were also taken to provide advice on health and hygiene to parents of the young people attending the camp and to seek further information from them about symptoms and risk factors such as food consumption. The owners of the showground agreed to close it to campers until further notice.

  Fifty-two cases have so far been identified with symptoms which consist principally of diarrhoea and/or vomiting. On the basis of microbiological results, there are now 18 confirmed cases of E.coli 0157 infection, of whom one is in hospital receiving dialysis.

  The Scottish Executive has been keeping in close touch with the investigation. The Food Standards Agency is also maintaining contact with the local Outbreak Control Team and will publicise any food safety or other advice required, when the full facts are known. The Outbreak Control Team will ensure that the public, media and local MSPs are kept in touch with developments.

Health Councils

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether health boards have the power to appoint a chairperson of a local Health Council, or whether this decision rests solely with the members of the health council concerned.

Susan Deacon: Health boards do not have the power to appoint a Chairperson of a local Health Council. The Chairman and Vice Chairman of a Health Council are selected by the council members from within their own number and this procedure is enshrined within the establishment scheme for each Health Council.

Housing

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much public money was paid to the consultants HACAS Exchequer Services to conduct the feasibility study on stock transfer in Glasgow completed in March 1999; how much public money was paid to the consultants Ernst & Young for their March 2000 report on stock transfer, and whether these reports represented value for money.

Ms Wendy Alexander: £186,000 was paid to HACAS Exchequer Services for its study on the feasibility of housing transfer. Ernst and Young will be paid a total of £270,000 for work in connection with its report published in April 2000. These contracts were both subject to competitive tendering and contributed to establishing a framework within which a transfer proposal, including the possibility of some £1,600 million of investment in Glasgow’s housing stock, can be developed.

Housing

Bristow Muldoon (Livingston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce legally binding tenancy agreements with rights similar to those of a Secure Tenancy Agreement for tenants in the private rented sector.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Private sector landlords generally let property under an assured tenancy, where the tenant cannot be evicted without a court order, a spouse or partner can succeed to the tenancy and the tenant has the right to assign and sub-let the property.

  Existing legislation also provides that private sector landlords must draw up a written agreement setting out the terms of the tenancy, including the length of the tenancy, how much rent is to be paid, when and how the rent is to be paid and how any increases are to be decided on. It should also cover the responsibility for repairs and maintenance and internal decoration and any conditions or restrictions on the use of the property. Other rights and obligations can be included in the agreement if both parties agree. I have no plans at present to change these arrangements.

Income

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what sources of information on household income profiles are available to local authorities and other public bodies, what details these sources of information contain and how they may be accessed.

Ms Wendy Alexander: There are a range of data sources which provide information on Scottish income distributions, all of which are available to local authorities and other public bodies. The levels of disaggregation available vary between sources and are dependent on the coverage of the relevant survey in Scotland. The table presents a summary of the main sources, contents and contact points for access.

  


Source of Information 


Description 


Access 




Scottish Household Survey 


New Scottish survey with quarterly 
published summaries. Information is gathered on income from 
wages/salaries, income from benefits and income from other 
sources. Some summary analyses have been published for Scotland 
as a whole. LA level data will be available for large authorities 
after 1 year and for all authorities after 2 years. Level 
of detail published will depend on an assessment of the quality 
and completeness of the information collected. 


Scottish Executive. Information 
can be found on website - http://www.scotland.gov.uk/shs or 
e-mail shs@scotland.gov.uk




Scottish House Condition Survey 


The SHCS collects information 
on the net income of the head of household and spouse/partner. 
This income can be broken down into: income from wages/salaries, 
income from benefits, and income from other sources Results 
are available for Scotland and for 9 local authorities (Highland, 
Glasgow, Edinburgh, Angus, East Lothian, north Lanarkshire, 
South Lanarkshire, Fife, Argyll and Bute). 


Scottish Homes. The main 
report of the SHCS 1996 was published in October 1997 and 
there is a continuing programme of further analysis which 
is carried out within and outwith Scottish Homes. The complete 
dataset can be obtained from the Data Archive at the University 
of Essex http://dawww.essex.ac.uk.
or e-mail Scottish Homes at macintyrec@scot-homes.gov.uk 

or telephone 0131 313 0044. 




Family Expenditure Survey 


The FES is primarily a survey 
of household expenditure on goods and services, and household 
income. Detailed information is available in income source, 
however disaggregation below the Scottish level is not possible. 


Office for National Statistics.
Information can be found on website http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase
or by contacting judi.morgan@ons.gov.uk 




Family Resource Survey 


Households interviewed in the 
survey are asked a wide range of questions about their circumstances 
with a focus on areas relevant to DSS policy such as income, 
including receipt of Social Security benefits, housing costs, 
assets and savings. The sample size allows more confidence 
in the analyses of smaller sub-groups, including, for example, 
regional breakdowns and recipients of certain benefits. 


Department of Social Security.
Information can be found on website http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase
or by contacting telephone no.
0171 962 8239.




Labour Force Survey 


The Labour Force Survey (LFS) 
is a quarterly sample survey of households living at private 
addresses in Great Britain. It includes questions on income 
by source. Results generally available only at the Scotland 
level. 


Office for National Statistics.
Information can be found on website http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase 
or by e-mailing labour.market@ons.gov.uk or telephone 0171 
533 6094. Also access to the data can be obtained via the 
Data Archive at the University of Essex. http://dawww.essex.ac.uk 




General Household Survey 


The General Household Survey 
is a multi-purpose sample survey on approximately 9,000 GB 
households and about 16,000 adults aged 16 and over. Data 
are collected on five core topics, namely education, employment, 
health, housing, and population and family information. A 
question on average gross household weekly income was included 
in the last survey for which results are currently available 
- 1996. 


Office for National Statistics.
Information can be found on web site http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase 
or by telephoning 0171 533 5444. Also access to the data can 
be obtained via the Data Archive at the University of Essex. 
http://dawww.essex.ac.uk

Justice

Allan Wilson (Cunninghame North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what quality assurance procedures are in place or proposed at the Scottish Criminal Records Office in respect of fingerprint evidence.

Allan Wilson (Cunninghame North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what policies and procedures are in place to ensure the integrity of fingerprint identification methodology pending the outcome of the investigation by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary.

Mr Jim Wallace: All fingerprint identifications at the Scottish Criminal Record Office (SCRO) have quality assurance checks built in. Following identification of a scene of crime mark, a further two fingerprint experts independently examine the fingerprint impressions in order to confirm the identification. All the negative and eliminated marks, paperwork and procedures are also checked in an identified case. A Quality Assurance Officer examines the paperwork and procedures of all fingerprint identifications and any identification being submitted as evidence is subject to a further quality assurance check by Principal Fingerprint Officers.

  HM Inspectorate of Constabulary is currently conducting an inspection review of the fingerprint section at SCRO. The inspection will include quality assurance aspects and recommendations will be made on any matters where there were shortcomings or scope for improvement.

Land Register

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what projections were made before the introduction of the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979 which indicated when the whole of Scotland would be on the Land Register of Scotland.

Mr Jim Wallace: The initial proposals announced during the passage of the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979 envisaged that the Land Register extension programme would last nine years from the date when the Land Register became operational. The Land Register first became operational in the County of Renfrew in April 1981.

Legislation

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress the new Scottish Law Commission has made in its review of the law of the foreshore and seabed and when it is expected to submit its report to the Scottish Executive.

Mr Jim Wallace: The initial stage has been for the Scottish Law Commission and my officials to explore in detail the content and process of this review. This stage has now been completed. The commission will now begin reviewing the full range of relevant Scottish law and will also consider experience in other countries. On the basis of this, they will develop a Discussion Paper; and, in the light of responses received to that, they will then publish their final recommendations by the end of 2002.

Local Government

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive to identify all requests it has granted to local authorities seeking to dispose of property, or enter into loans or other contractual arrangements at less than the full market value.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Below is a breakdown by council of successful applications to Scottish Ministers for consent to dispose of property or land at less than full market value since 1 July 1999.

  


Name of Council 


No. of requests 


Land 


Property 




Aberdeen City 


1 

 

1 




Aberdeenshire 


3 


3 

 



Angus 


0 

 
 



Argyll & Bute 


6 


4 


2 




Clackmannanshire 


1 


1 (property included) 

 



Dumfries & Galloway 


1 

 

1 




Dundee City 


4 


2 


2 




East Ayrshire 


2 


2 

 



East Dunbartonshire 


0 

 
 



East Lothian 


1 

 

1 




East Renfrewshire 


0 

 
 



Edinburgh City 


4 


3 


1 




Falkirk  


0 

 
 



Fife 


0 

 
 



Glasgow City 


2 


2 

 



Highland 


15 


7 


8 




Inverclyde 


0 

 
 



Midlothian 


0 

 
 



Moray 


4 


3 


1 




North Ayrshire 


0 

 
 



North Lanarkshire 


1 

 

1 




Orkney Islands 


1 


1 (property included) 

 



Perth & Kinross 


0 

 
 



Renfrewshire 


3 


1 

 



Scottish Borders 


1 


1 

 



Shetland Islands 


1 


1 

 



South Ayrshire 


1 


1 

 



South Lanarkshire 


0 

 
 



Stirling 


4 


4 

 



West Dunbartonshire 


0 

 
 



West Lothian 


1 


1 

 



Western Isles 


1 

 

1 




TOTAL 


58 


37 property 


21 land

Local Government Elections

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to extend the polling hours in local authority elections.

Mr Frank McAveety: Following the McIntosh report, the Executive has consulted on a number of issues including the timing of elections and the eligibility of local government employees. We are presently considering the responses to these issues. It also established the Renewing Local Democracy Working Group to consider, among other issues, the electoral system for local government: that group is expected to report shortly. The Executive will review the administrative arrangements for local government elections, including polling hours, in the light of the post-McIntosh consultation and the report of the Renewing Local Democracy Working Group.

NHS Hospitals

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many hospitals have been sold in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area since 1981, how much has been raised from any such sales and how has the money been spent.

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any hospitals are currently planned to be sold in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area and what the projected income is from any such sales.

Susan Deacon: The Executive has provided national guidance to Trusts and boards about the disposal of surplus land. The underlying principle is that patient care should benefit from this resource. Specific information about a health board’s disposals can be obtained direct from the health board. The detailed information requested can be obtained from Greater Glasgow Health Board.

NHS Waiting Times

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of patients currently receive their first outpatient consultation within nine weeks of referral.

Susan Deacon: Provisional figures for the year ending 31 December 1999 show that 63% of patients received their first outpatient consultation within nine weeks of a General Medical Practitioner/General Dental Practitioner referral.

NHS Waiting Times

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of patients are currently treated within three months of being placed on a waiting list.

Susan Deacon: Provisional figures for the year ending 31 December 1999 show that 82.6% of patients were treated within three months of being placed on the waiting list.

NHS Waiting Times

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what are the average waiting times for extraction of wisdom teeth in each health board area in each of the past three years.

Susan Deacon: Patients requiring the extraction of wisdom teeth can be treated by a General Dental Practitioner, as an outpatient or as a day case/inpatient. Waiting times information for specific treatment carried out by General Dental Practitioners or at outpatient clinics is not available.

  The median waiting time for the extraction of wisdom teeth carried out as a day case/inpatient by health board area for 1997-98, 1998-99 and for the nine months to 31 December 1999 is provided in the table.

  NHS In Scotland: Median Waiting Time For Extraction Of Wisdom Teeth1 By Health Board Area Of Residence For The Years 1997-98, 1998-99 And Nine Months To 31 December 1999p

  

 

Median Waiting 
Times (Days) 




Health Board  


1997-98 


1998-99 


Nine Months to
31 Dec 1999p




Argyll and Clyde 


49 


70 


46 




Ayrshire and Arran 


94 


166 


100 




Borders 


56 


63 


30 




Dumfries and Galloway 


146 


92 


98 




Fife 


88 


113 


75 




Forth Valley 


60 


105 


56 




Grampian 


140 


123 


28 




Greater Glasgow 


49 


56 


37 




Highland 


77 


130 


70 




Lanarkshire 


81 


74 


61 




Lothian 


34 


39 


27 




Orkney 


16 


37 


19 




Shetland 


83 


78 


91 




Tayside 


56 


61 


37 




Western Isles 


77 


56 


- 




Scotland 


62 


67 


47 




  Source: ISD, Scotland.

  p Provisional

  Notes:

  1. Office of Population Censuses and Surveys Classification of Surgical Operations and Procedures (OPCS 4) codes F09.1 and F09.3.

Police

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional uniformed officers it estimates could be recruited by each police force during this financial year if police authorities were not required to pay non-domestic rates.

Mr Jim Wallace: Following the abolition of Crown Exemption from non-domestic rates from 1 April 2000 police forces are liable to pay non-domestic rates for police properties. The Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) settlement for 2000-01 was increased to recompense in full the costs associated with the payment of rates. The effect of Crown Exemption on the police is therefore cost neutral and has no bearing on officer recruitment.

Police

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional uniformed police officers it expects will be recruited by each police force as a result of its announcement of an extra £8.9 million for the police.

Mr Jim Wallace: The additional £8.9 million invested in the Scottish police will enable the recruitment of more than 300 extra police officers. Decisions on recruitment and deployment of staff are, however, matters for individual chief constables. After allocating £1 million to the Scottish Police College at Tulliallan for the training of the additional recruits, the funds were distributed as shown in the table below. Also shown is the notional number of additional officers that could be recruited from the extra money available.

  


Police Force 


Additional Funding
£000 


Number of Additional 
Officers 




Central Scotland Police 


369 


15 




Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary 


233 


9 




Fife Constabulary 


435 


17 




Grampian Police 


676 


27 




Lothian and Borders Police 


1,442 


58 




Northern Constabulary 


423 


17 




Strathclyde Police 


3,710 


148 




Tayside Police 


612 


24 




Total Funding 


7,900 


315

Poverty

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what are the means by which deprivation and poverty are currently assessed in both urban and rural areas.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Social Justice report Social Justice: A Scotland Where Everyone Matters published in November 1999, sets out the 29 social justice milestones which will be reported upon annually, as the framework for assessing progress in tackling poverty and deprivation throughout Scotland. In addition, assessments of deprivation are carried out for specific purposes including the allocation of local authority grants. The indicators of deprivation used within the grant distribution system are described in detail in the annual Grant Aided Expenditure 2000 Green Book . Copies of both these documents are available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

Rural Affairs

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many farmers’ markets there are in Scotland and where these are located.

Ross Finnie: There is no obligation to notify the Executive of local farmers’ markets. I am aware of nine farmers’ markets up and running in Scotland. These are located in Perth, Elgin, Ayr, Inverness, Skye, Tain, Aviemore, Forfar and Glasgow.

  I believe another 10-14 are approaching the implementation stage.

Rural Affairs

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what practical measures it is taking to encourage the creation of farmers’ markets.

Ross Finnie: The Executive has arranged for the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society, as part of its grant-funded activity, to investigate the development of farmers’ markets in Scotland, including the possible setting up of a Scottish Association of Farmers’ Markets and the drawing up of guidelines. This work is currently underway.

Tourism

Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-965 by Sarah Boyack on 27 January 2000, what the outcome was of the consultation between officials on the subject of signposting of Wigtown, Scotland’s National Book Town, at the junction of the M74 and A75 at Gretna.

Sarah Boyack: It is clearly not possible to sign every tourist attraction which may be put forward for signposting at the junction of the A74(M) and A75 at Gretna. However, the Solway Coast Heritage Trail is signed at Gretna to direct traffic to tourist attractions along the Solway Coast. I believe that the best way forward is for Wigtown to be advertised in the promotional literature which is produced to support the tourist trail.

Youth Crime Review

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in relation to the Youth Crime Review.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Advisory Group’s report on Youth Crime is being launched today along with the Scottish Executive’s response to the recommendations contained in the report. Copies of both are being placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 6648).